ITV

Tag: EBU

  • IBC 2016 scores another triumph

    IBC 2016 scores another triumph

    The 49 th edition of IBC 2016 held at Amsterdam’s RAI convention centre between 8-13 September 2016 resulted in streets, hotel lobbies, trams, restaurants, bars, cafes, and even the infamous red light district brimming over with techies and business executives.

    Statistics released by the IBC office reveal that 55,796 professionals attended the six-day exhibition-cum-conference, coming from 160 countries. 668 more attended this year compared to 2015. 435 speakers took part in more than 100 sessions including keynotes and panel discussions during the IBC conferences.

    On the exhibition side, 1,800 exhibitors set up tent in the RAI with stands. 249 of them were newbies to the trade show.

    One important addition to the feature areas in the exhibition was the IBC IP Interoperability Zone, an initiative to push forward open standards in new connectivity. Supported by AIMS and the IABM and working with AES,AMWA, the EBU, SMPTE and VSF, IBC created a dedicated exhibit which demonstrated verified technical progress in IP interoperability and featured the award-winning VRT-EBU LiveIP studio which was used for IBCTV’s production at this year’s show.

    IBC chief executive Michael Crimp was thrilled to bits. Said he: “IBC really is the only forum that attracts a global audience, the most comprehensive exhibition, and the best thought-leaders to spark the debate. Above all else, it is about bringing people together to share knowledge and to do business. It is clear, from the buzz around the whole show, that this has been a great year.”

    It probably had a record participation this year from India too. Specific numbers were not available but they definitely were in excess of 300. CTOs of broadcast majors, cable ops roamed the aisles trying to get to grips the technological upheaval the world of television. OTT, cable TV is going through. Dish TV’s Jawahar Goel, Tata Sky’s Harit Nagpal, Videocon d2h Himanshu Patil were spotted meeting their tech suppliers. GTPL’s Anirudh Singh Jadeja was checking out the latest in STBs and billing solutions.

    Among the major Indian exhibitors figured: Media Guru, Amagi, Wasp3D, Canara Lighting, Tata Elxsi, and Prime Focus Technologies.

    Media Guru’s Sanjay Salil said he had back to back meetings with clients which kept him on his toes throughout the six days.

    According to Goel, the transformation of the industries towards the cloud,IP and streaming services is going to change the way everyone in traditional television delivers and creates content. In the process, this is going to put pressure on vendor pricing – especially those who are continuing to work in the old linear television broadcast ways.

    Amongst the key trends noticed were the increasing shift towards augmented reality, virtual reality filming equipment, processing and VR and AR video delivery. Ultra HD, HDR, OTT platforms and app development and deployment were some of the major key words heard during the six days.

  • IBC 2016 scores another triumph

    IBC 2016 scores another triumph

    The 49 th edition of IBC 2016 held at Amsterdam’s RAI convention centre between 8-13 September 2016 resulted in streets, hotel lobbies, trams, restaurants, bars, cafes, and even the infamous red light district brimming over with techies and business executives.

    Statistics released by the IBC office reveal that 55,796 professionals attended the six-day exhibition-cum-conference, coming from 160 countries. 668 more attended this year compared to 2015. 435 speakers took part in more than 100 sessions including keynotes and panel discussions during the IBC conferences.

    On the exhibition side, 1,800 exhibitors set up tent in the RAI with stands. 249 of them were newbies to the trade show.

    One important addition to the feature areas in the exhibition was the IBC IP Interoperability Zone, an initiative to push forward open standards in new connectivity. Supported by AIMS and the IABM and working with AES,AMWA, the EBU, SMPTE and VSF, IBC created a dedicated exhibit which demonstrated verified technical progress in IP interoperability and featured the award-winning VRT-EBU LiveIP studio which was used for IBCTV’s production at this year’s show.

    IBC chief executive Michael Crimp was thrilled to bits. Said he: “IBC really is the only forum that attracts a global audience, the most comprehensive exhibition, and the best thought-leaders to spark the debate. Above all else, it is about bringing people together to share knowledge and to do business. It is clear, from the buzz around the whole show, that this has been a great year.”

    It probably had a record participation this year from India too. Specific numbers were not available but they definitely were in excess of 300. CTOs of broadcast majors, cable ops roamed the aisles trying to get to grips the technological upheaval the world of television. OTT, cable TV is going through. Dish TV’s Jawahar Goel, Tata Sky’s Harit Nagpal, Videocon d2h Himanshu Patil were spotted meeting their tech suppliers. GTPL’s Anirudh Singh Jadeja was checking out the latest in STBs and billing solutions.

    Among the major Indian exhibitors figured: Media Guru, Amagi, Wasp3D, Canara Lighting, Tata Elxsi, and Prime Focus Technologies.

    Media Guru’s Sanjay Salil said he had back to back meetings with clients which kept him on his toes throughout the six days.

    According to Goel, the transformation of the industries towards the cloud,IP and streaming services is going to change the way everyone in traditional television delivers and creates content. In the process, this is going to put pressure on vendor pricing – especially those who are continuing to work in the old linear television broadcast ways.

    Amongst the key trends noticed were the increasing shift towards augmented reality, virtual reality filming equipment, processing and VR and AR video delivery. Ultra HD, HDR, OTT platforms and app development and deployment were some of the major key words heard during the six days.

  • European trust in media: radio outshines social networks, TV falls steeply

    European trust in media: radio outshines social networks, TV falls steeply

    NEW DELHI: This one will make radio fans go ga-ga with delight.

    Radio still remains the number one trusted source of news for European citizens even as the overall perception of the trustworthiness of the media has decreased over the last five years.

    The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) also found that social media, increasingly the primary source of news, is the least trusted, and even a distrusted medium in Europe.

    The annual Eurobarometer survey showed that although trust has decreased for radio as well, it remains by far the most trusted source of information. Most countries show a positive attitude towards radio and it came out as the primary trusted source in 20 countries, with an average of 55% positive response. Particularly high scores came from Sweden (74%), Finland (66%) and Denmark (57%).

    Television, the second most trusted medium, is still the number one source in 11 countries but trust in television has decreased much more rapidly over the last year than the other media – with 10 points as opposed to radio, which only fell by three points, and the written press, the internet, and social media which decreased by only one point.

    In only one out of 33 countries surveyed, Albania, the number of people who trusted social media as a source of news outweighed those who tended not to. In all other countries people “tend not to trust” social networks, with those in Sweden, Luxembourg, and Britain having the least trust in social networks as a source of information.

    The internet also scored particularly low, as in the majority of countries, people “tend not to trust” it. Only 12 countries had positive results, most of which are in Southeast Europe.

    The written press is not perceived to be much more trustworthy than the internet.

    Only 13 countries showed positive results, mostly in Nordic and Benelux regions where people have more trust in the press. In 14 countries it is regarded as the least trusted medium.

    Roberto Suárez Candel, head of Media Intelligence Service at EBU, told The Guardian that the results did not come as a surprise: “People maintain a strong relationship with radio and TV, which are still their primary sources of information and entertainment.”

    “It is also not surprising that in countries with a high level of funding for public service TV and radio there tends to be more trust in the media in general – they produce good quality content and provide valuable information for society,” he told The Guardian.

  • European trust in media: radio outshines social networks, TV falls steeply

    European trust in media: radio outshines social networks, TV falls steeply

    NEW DELHI: This one will make radio fans go ga-ga with delight.

    Radio still remains the number one trusted source of news for European citizens even as the overall perception of the trustworthiness of the media has decreased over the last five years.

    The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) also found that social media, increasingly the primary source of news, is the least trusted, and even a distrusted medium in Europe.

    The annual Eurobarometer survey showed that although trust has decreased for radio as well, it remains by far the most trusted source of information. Most countries show a positive attitude towards radio and it came out as the primary trusted source in 20 countries, with an average of 55% positive response. Particularly high scores came from Sweden (74%), Finland (66%) and Denmark (57%).

    Television, the second most trusted medium, is still the number one source in 11 countries but trust in television has decreased much more rapidly over the last year than the other media – with 10 points as opposed to radio, which only fell by three points, and the written press, the internet, and social media which decreased by only one point.

    In only one out of 33 countries surveyed, Albania, the number of people who trusted social media as a source of news outweighed those who tended not to. In all other countries people “tend not to trust” social networks, with those in Sweden, Luxembourg, and Britain having the least trust in social networks as a source of information.

    The internet also scored particularly low, as in the majority of countries, people “tend not to trust” it. Only 12 countries had positive results, most of which are in Southeast Europe.

    The written press is not perceived to be much more trustworthy than the internet.

    Only 13 countries showed positive results, mostly in Nordic and Benelux regions where people have more trust in the press. In 14 countries it is regarded as the least trusted medium.

    Roberto Suárez Candel, head of Media Intelligence Service at EBU, told The Guardian that the results did not come as a surprise: “People maintain a strong relationship with radio and TV, which are still their primary sources of information and entertainment.”

    “It is also not surprising that in countries with a high level of funding for public service TV and radio there tends to be more trust in the media in general – they produce good quality content and provide valuable information for society,” he told The Guardian.

  • AsiaSat signs long-term contract with EBU

    AsiaSat signs long-term contract with EBU

    MUMBAI: Asia Satellite Telecommunications, Asia‘s leading satellite operator, has signed long-term contract renewals with European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the world‘s leading alliance of public service media organizations, for two C-band transponders on AsiaSat 5.

    Furthermore, a new contract was signed to secure additional AsiaSat 5 capacity to support EBU‘s substantial growth of media content delivery services in the Asia-Pacific region.

    These contracts confirm and further extend the existing long-standing relationship between the two companies, which began in 1999.

    AsiaSat 5 is now an integral part of the EBU‘s global content delivery network which distributes entertainment, culture and music content, and live sports and news events such as the Olympics, World Cup, and the Uefa Champions League from Europe and across Asia.

    The EBU will continue to use AsiaSat 5 to serve its members and media organizations with top quality broadcast services, while the capacity expansion is set to boost its ability to meet the growing demand for content distribution in the Asia region.

    EBU Network Director Graham Warren said, "Our relationship with AsiaSat has been a long and fruitful one, and we are pleased to further strengthen this valued partnership through these renewed and new contracts. AsiaSat has been and remains a steadfast partner for EBU. We look forward to continuing to work with AsiaSat to provide professional and high-quality services to the media community in a reliable and cost-effective way."

    "We are proud to have established an enduring relationship with EBU which is built on the proven performance and reliability of our satellite products and services. We are pleased to see that our successful collaboration will continue for many years to come. We thank the EBU for their trust and the opportunity to continue providing the service quality and flexibility needed to meet their expansion objectives," said AsiaSat President and CEO William Wade.

  • European broadcasters oppose swimming, gymnastic Olympic events timings

    European broadcasters oppose swimming, gymnastic Olympic events timings

    MUMBAI: The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has formally protested the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s decision to hold some Olympic swimming and gymnastic finals in the morning during the 2008 Beijing Games.

    Media reports indicate that IOC had announced the changes last week in a concession to US broadcaster NBC. However the EBU says that this means that the events willl occur in the middle of the night in Europe.

    In a statement the EBU says, “With this decision the IOC ends the tradition of staging these finals in the evening irrespective of the time zone at the venue. Viewers in Europe as well as the vast majority of the global TV audience will be disadvantaged.”

    Swimmers too have registered their protest in a letter. Ian Thorpe says, “I won’t make a habit of posting annoyances here but this one just blew my mind. Anyone else think it irritating that NBC is putting pressure on the IOC to change the swimming schedule to only benefit the US prime time audience? That’s nice but what about the rest of the planet, who last time I checked, were also involved in the Olympics.”

    Pieter van den Hoogenband says, “Do you see the big athletes of the 100 metre sprint, the Powells and Gatlins, running their final in the morning? Come on. Be serious. For one time, one tournament, they alternate the programme, because of American goals. Without knowing the opinion of the men to swim: we, us. This is worthless. For me especially. I am not a morning person. To be at my best at ten o’clock, shortly after breakfast, is impossible .”

  • Global sports TV forum Sportel Monaco sells 85 per cent of exhibition space

    Global sports TV forum Sportel Monaco sells 85 per cent of exhibition space

    MUMBAI: With two months to go before the opening of the sports television forum Sportel Monaco 2006, exhibitors have committed to more than 85 per cent of the expanded floor space in the Grimaldi Forum. The event takes place from 16-19 October 2006.

    Exhibitors include Total Sports Asia, A1GP World Cup Of Motorsport, AGFIS, Alcatel, BBC Worldwide, EBU, PGA Tour, HBO, the NBA and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

    Sportel CEO David Tomatis says, ” We have opened up every corner of the exhibition floor to add more stands and it is virtually certain that we will sell all existing space in the coming weeks.

    “We are continuing to focus on exciting new technologies involving the reception of sports content on mobile receivers, along with our traditional base of international TV sports. Sportel Monaco 2006 may very well be our largest market ever.”

  • Single network to ease dilemma faced by broadcasters

    Single network to ease dilemma faced by broadcasters

    SINGAPORE: Broadcasters – with their need to transport uncompressed studio-quality video – are the most demanding customers for video, voice and data networks. Broadcasters face an expensive and complicated future with the task of upgrading networks to enable digital terrestrial television, HDTV and Video on Demand (VOD) and upgrading data and telephony to meet today’s standards, unless they can implement a single network that can meet all of these needs.

    NetSight Sweden global director operations Thomas Wahlund threw light on how European broadcasters such as Eurovision and Broadcast Services Danmark have recently implemented unified Next Generation networks to provide video for contribution, distribution, and digital terrestrial television plus audio for radio, internet and even telephony.

    “Using Asynchronous Serial Interface (ASI), a very common interface used to transport MPEG compressed video to satellite uplinks, between studios and for distribution in for example CATV networks, PCR jitter has to stay under 500 nanoseconds in order for a correct decoding to be done. Since the format is compressed, if only one of these frames arrives out of spectrum it could make the decoder loose synchronisation and it could take several seconds before the service is restored. In the ad-driven world of broadcasting even a few seconds of black screen is obviously unacceptable,” Wahlund said.

    Delivery channels – terrestrial, cable and satellite, need to keep pace with the ever-increasing demands of the content to be streamed, the demands upon spectrum and the constant high and sometimes unreasonable expectations of the viewer.

    Each professional uncompressed standard video stream requires 270Mbps, which is more than 50 times the requirement for a cable -TV movie. Due to the demands of video, broadcasters deploy separate networks for voice and data.

    Broadcasters are now looking to upgrade their analogue TV networks with digital TV networks. Singapore, Japan, Australia and Taiwan have rolled out Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), and most Asian countries will do so in the coming years. With DTT or DVB-T, digital TV signals are transmitted from terrestrial antennas to digital TV receivers in the households. The benefits of this are lower operational costs, a higher picture quality and the ability to transmit up to four times more TV channels on the same frequency range. 

    Wahlund further added, “The requirements on video transport will also soon increase, as broadcasters change from SDTV to large – scale deployment of HDTV. As a norm, an HD feed takes up roughly four times the bandwidth of a standard definition feed. Today’s delivery mechanisms will not be sufficient to handle the increased bandwidth. Broadcasters are now faced with a dilemma of upgrading their data and telephony networks to meet today’s standards.” 

    In Europe, several major broadcasters have actively acquired their own networks. The European Broadcast Union (EBU) and Broadcast Service Danmark (BSD), the provider of analog and digital distribution of TV and radio in Denmark, each built its own next generation networks to provide video for contribution and distribution plus audio for radio, internet and even telephony.

    “They are now using the networks to connect production studios with film banks, stadiums and other production sites. These optical networks handle a mix of video, audio, data and even telephony without massive over provisioning of bandwidth, delay, jitter and constant (and costly) traffic engineering. Broadcasters have been able to increase the services such as HD and VOD and they have also been able to improve workflow, and substantially save on operating and capital expenses,” Wahlund said. 

    “They are meeting the challenges of providing new services such as HDTV and digital television by building next generation multi-service fibre networks that can provide these services. They are achieving additional benefits by intelligently using the additional bandwidth these networks to provide state of the art contribution and distribution networks and upgraded data and telephony services. They are also benefiting from reduced operating expenses from a unified management system. This is proving to be a rare win-win proposition for all,” he concluded.